We visited McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot as if we were on a foreign trip - good thing we did! [COMPACTIDEA]

This trip a few days ago was different from the domestic and foreign trips that I've done so far. No more miserliness. Not worrying about high taxi rates [worrying about paying high taxi rates spoiled my mood a lot during our Singapore trip in 2019]. Eating at the best restaurants and cafes and not worrying about menu prices. Staying at one of the topmost hotels there. Ordering lots of food via room service, and not worrying about the prices of items. Not negotiating with taxi drivers. And so on.

We spent with the silent background assumption that we were on an international trip, and this extra spending decisively multiplied the joy and satisfaction we received from our trip.

To be honest, McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot are both already not-so-expensive places. Aside from local cab / taxi rates, hardly anything else is more expensive there - with Ludhiana prices as the benchmark / reference. This itself helped a lot. But even if McLeod had been somewhat more expensive than it is now, we would've still spent without the miserliness associated with my previous travels within or outside India - because this time I had told myself that I'm gonna spend during this trip as if it were a foreign trip. The focus here is primarily on the new way in which we spent, and not primarily on McLeod's relative inexpensiveness.

The generalization here is that even intra-India leisure trips should be made as if you're on a foreign trip. If you keep trying to save money here and there on your Indian trip - and this I'm saying from several of my personal traveling experiences within and outside India - then you'll end up enjoying much less.

Summary of our wonderful McLeon Ganj plus Dharamkot trip in October 2022 [COMPACTIDEA]

1. 8.10.22.
1. MakeMyTrip Cab from Ludhiana.
2. Reached Dharamshala, saw lovely mountains and cloudy weather ahead.
3. Reached hotel. Lovely cloudy / foggy weather again on the way to hotel.
4. Satish's taxi to Main Square. Roamed around the market, roadside momos, etc.
1. McLeod is really Little Lhasa / Mini Tibet of India. There are so many Tibetan people here, that you get a partial feeling as if you're outside India.
5. Dinner at McLlo restaurant.
6. Taxi back to hotel.
7. Room service dinner.
2. 9.10.22.
1. Breakfast buffet at hotel.
2. Rahul's taxi to Guna Devi temple trek starting point. Bad road.
3. 10-15 minutes of trek - up to crossing the river bridge.
4. Noodles at the cafe there.
5. Enjoyment at the river - sitting on stones, seeing Tibet people, playing with river water.
6. Taxi to Bhagsunag temple. Trek to the waterfall. Ate, drank and enjoyed at the waterfall.
7. Came down and visited temple.
8. Taxi to Main Square.
9. Food at House of Tibet + roaming.
1. Overall, MG is a nice melting pot of different ethnicities and cultures. This is visible in two ways - via the wide variety of people visible there, and also via the various cuisines available there - North Indian, Tibetan, South Indian, Bhutanese, Israeli, German, Mexican, Nepali, Korean, etc.
10. Taxi to Dharamshala local market.
11. Taxi to hotel.
12. Room service dinner.
3. 10.10.22.
1. Breakfast buffet at hotel.
2. Omkar's taxi to Main Square. Dense fog on the way.
3. Walk towards Dalai Lama Temple + Namgyal Monastery.
4. Visited Dalai Lama Temple + Namgyal Monastery.
1. We probably also visited Tsechokling Gompa. Probably another name or a part of the complex. Or did we visit the Tsuglagkhang Complex?
5. Walk back to Main Square.
6. Jackie's taxi to Dharamkot [Mini Israel]. Such a peaceful place compared to McLeod.
7. Morgan's Place cafe - some eating.
8. Khanabadosh cafe - more eating.
9. Walk in the village, met Israelis.
10. Trek & Dine - more eating.
11. Swings in the open.
12. Taxi back to Main Square. Was a wonderful mini-trip to Dharamkot, including its Israeli aspect. Now I feel that any trip to McLeod Ganj must include Dharamkot, or else it would be incomplete. I also feel that maybe close to 99% of people who visit McLeod Ganj do not visit Dharamkot [especially Punjabis], and perhaps don't even know about it, despite the distance being merely 1-2 km. Thankfully we did know and we did visit this Mini Israel / Little Tel Aviv.
13. Juniper Cafe - yet more eating.
14. Taxi back to hotel.
15. Room service dinner.
4. 11.10.22.
1. Woke up and saw snow-covered mountain tops from the room window. First snow of the season according to hotel reception.
2. Breakfast at hotel.
3. Check-out from hotel.
4. MakeMyTrip Cab to Ludhiana.
5. Places we didn't go to / things we didn't do.
1. Kareri Lake
2. Tibet government-in-exile.
3. Dharamshala cricket stadium.
4. Spa.

Superfoods - a list compiled using quick reading of high-quality sources - Harvard, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins, Cambridge [COMPACTIDEA]

//Non-vegetarian superfoods such as salmon excluded.

//Each superfood has its own strengths. Diversified consumption essential.

Eggs.

Nuts [peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachio, cashew, etc.].

Extra virgin olive oil.

Beans / legumes / lentils [e.g., kidney beans, peas]. Pulses / dals / chane.

Soy / soybean.

Yogurt / Greek yogurt.

Curd / dahi / lassi.

Spinach.

Broccoli. Cauliflower. Cabbage.

Radish. Turnip. Carrot. Beetroot. 

Turmeric. Ginger. Garlic. Onion.

Tomato. Amla. 

Sweet potato.

Seeds [chia seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, etc.].

Fruits [avocado, apple, orange, banana].

Berries [blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries].

Green tea.

Whole grains [oatmeal, quinoa, barley, ragi].

***

SOURCES.

1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-super-are-superfoods
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/sizing-up-superfoods-for-heart-health
3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/12-superfoods-you-should-be-eating
4. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/superfoods/
5. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/10-superfoods-to-boost-a-healthy-diet-2018082914463
6. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/true-superfoods
7. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-most-nutrient-dense-foods-on-the-planet
8. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/multimedia/health-foods/sls-20076653
9. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/superfoods-why-you-should-eat-cruciferous-vegetables
10. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/flaxseed-tiny-nutritional-powerhouse
11. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-a-superfood/
12. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/johns_hopkins_health/summer_2014/superfoods_to_the_rescue
13. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits
14. https://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/college-life/catering/superfoods
15. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

Abandoning Costa3 with sadness - the total cost is much higher than what I can spend today - some day... [RAWDUMP]

Had found this great cruise with Costa, for me, my wife and my daughter. Total would've been EUR 790, or about INR 63K. Add about INR 67K for flights [sub total INR ~1.3 lakh], and I had [wrongly] thought that - add other expenses such as food, taxis, 3 nights in Dubai hotel, etc. - us three will be able to do this ~11-12 days trip in roughly INR 1.75-1.9 lakhs. I was so wrong. UAE multi-entry visa is very expensive. Add Qatar and Oman visa costs. Add costs for going to Delhi and coming back to Ludhiana. Add costs for Burj Khalifa and desert safari for the three of us. The total would've been at least INR 2.7 lakhs, and quite possibly INR 3 lakhs. Can't spend this amount, at least now. Abandoning it with sadness. Money is the barrier. Need to earn more. Much more. Only then can I enjoy these things. Already I had chosen the cruise which was so much cheaper than regular cruise prices. If I can't do a trip with an already-discounted cruise, how will I buy regularly-priced cruises in the future?

Copying below the Google online document I had created to plan this trip. It's of no use now. Some day...

Air tickets.

To Dubai. Air India AI-915 [B787] 17.1.23 DEL 4-30 PM to DXB 7 PM. ~39K.

From dubai. Indigo 6E-1836 [Airbus A321neo] 28.1.23 ABU DHABI 00-25 AM to DEL 5-05 AM. ~28K.

Dubai hotel [prior to cruise] + pre-book only a few excursions/activities [try to do mostly free ones like Jumeirah beach] - Burj Khalifa top, desert safari [+barbeque dinner, dance, camel], burj al arab, atlantis free area + metro ride to one palm, mall of the emirates [ski dubai entrance?], dubai mall + fountain show + free outside view of aquarium, palm Jumeirah taxi ride [underground tunnel?].

---

Abu dhabi free places. 1 day and 1.5 hours. Emirates palace. Grand mosque. Corniche + Corniche beach. Yas Mall / Marina Mall.

---

Doha free places. 7.5 hours only. Al Hazm Mall. Villaggio. Souq waqif. Corniche [beach?].

---

Muscat free places. 10 hours. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Mutrah Corniche.

---

Dubai business visits?

Visas - suitable dates and types

• UAE multi-entry type probably needed [more than twice maybe?]

• Qatar 

• Oman

Also check COVID entry requirements - UAE, Qatar, Oman.

Mobile connectivity in UAE, Qatar, Oman and also onboard Costa.

Medicines. Spectacles. Goggles. Bank cards. Cash.

---

26 Free Things To Do In Dubai In 2022 With Your Loved Ones! (traveltriangle.com) https://traveltriangle.com/blog/free-things-to-do-in-dubai/

THE 10 BEST Free Things to Do in Dubai | Tripadvisor
https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attractions-g295424-Activities-zft11292-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html

THE 10 BEST Free Things to Do in Abu Dhabi | Tripadvisor
https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attractions-g294013-Activities-zft11292-Abu_Dhabi_Emirate_of_Abu_Dhabi.html

15 Best Places to Visit in Abu Dhabi for Free in 2022 (thrillophilia.com)
https://www.thrillophilia.com/places-to-visit-in-abu-dhabi-for-free

THE 10 BEST Free Things to Do in Doha | Tripadvisor
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294009-Activities-zft11292-Doha.html

Free things to do in Doha: 50 things that won’t cost you a single riyal | Time Out Doha https://www.timeoutdoha.com/things-to-do/81253-48-awesome-free-things-to-do-in-doha

THE 10 BEST Free Things to Do in Muscat - TripAdvisor
https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attractions-g1940497-Activities-zft11292-Muscat_Muscat_Governorate.html

20 Best free attractions in Muscat - Wanderlog
https://wanderlog.com/list/geoCategory/131125/-best-free-attractions-in-muscat

Is a nude beach possible in India - how face-hiding masks might bring Indians to such a beach, especially young Indians [COMPACTIDEA]

Due to cultural [and maybe religious] reasons, no Indian expects Indians to turn up naked at a nude beach, should one open here in India. It'll fail - Indian girls or women roaming naked on an open beach in front of other Indians, including other men, is antithetical to our culture [although looking at what young Indian girls and women are doing these days on Instagram Reels, TikTok, etc., some could say that's not completely true now]. Culture apart, lack of confidence on one's body is another reason [and it itself is because of near-total absence of fitness in India, although this too is changing now in the younger generation].

Anyway. Can masks that fully cover / hide one's face make Indians comfortable in coming to a domestic nude beach? It's possible. The shame associated with revealing one's face, and thus identity, if coming to such a place can be overcome by hiding one's identity. People roaming with weird masks on might look strange at a nude beach, but what's the alternative, if any? Younger Indians will obviously be far more receptive to this whole idea compared to older ones.

Recent Bollywood trend - also in OTT Web series - showing Indian females smoking, drinking, abusing beyond what exists in reality [COMPACTIDEA]

1. Lesbian love-making sequence in City of Dreams. WTF?! No connection to reality. Is this what the series-makers call 'empowerement'?
2. Indian girls/women shown using excessive cuss words and local language abuses. Not in line with the reality that Indians see in their lives. What's the point of depicting the usage of swear words beyond what exists in reality? To add masala to the video?
3. Not only abusive language, Indian females are also [forcibly] being depicted using vulgar words that feel out of place, under the banners of 'liberated', 'modern', 'progressive', 'empowered', etc.
1. Clear example is the sudden + screaming 'vagina between legs' dialog from City of Dreams, and also the daughter referring to her own father's testes in the same show. Nonsense and unrealistic!
4. It seems like the average Indian person / viewer isn't mentally clear about what exactly do terms such as empowered, liberated, etc., mean, and filmmakers are consciously or accidentally exploiting this lack of clarity to push masala dialogs and scenes that are in reality not aligned with the real definitions of these terms.
5. City of Dreams has such excessive depiction of Indian women smoking and drinking that you're like WTF!
6. You're left wondering whether these filmmakers are merely trying to reflect the reality of Indian societies, or are they covertly [maybe overtly?] trying to affect Indian societies, sensibilities, culture and public order?
7. In Voot series Illegal, women are deliberately depicted revealing cleavage when it's out of touch with the reality in India. Now, one could argue that actresses have been exposed for eons by filmmakers in order to make books/movies/shows sell [more], but in this case it isn't only that. Cleavage exposure is also being used as an overt visual cue to convey 'empowerement'. It's like the makers are overtly telling you - "See that cleavage? She's empowered!".
8. Even in Voot's Illegal, display of cleavage has been used as a tool to convey empowerment and confidence. Which professional female lawyer routinely wears cleavage-revealing dresses at her workplace {a high-end law firm}?
9. Also, another overt cue being used these days to highlight 'empowerement' - also visible in Illegal - is excessive use of English language. More English is being sold as more modern, more empowered. Ma or mummy has become mom, this sub-trend is part of the overall English issue.

TAGS= FEMINISM, FEMINIST, GENDER

Financial success doesn't necessarily by itself imply wisdom in other areas, although society considers it so

In general, at least in the Indian society, those who have made a lot of money are also considered wise in non-monetary / non-business areas. Friends, colleagues and relatives start taking advice from these people on a range of social, financial, family, and other issues, implicitly implying that these folks are "wise".

I don't believe that this implicit assessment is correct. I have at least one strong example to think so.

Recently, one of my relatives - who is one generation senior to me and has had huge successes in business over the last many years - kept not one but two extended-family gatherings at his home within a span of roughly 10 days. What kind of wisdom is this, I ask. Entire India is burning from the coronavirus / COVID-19 fire for the last many weeks, and in these dangerous circumstances how can someone put his own extended-family's lives in danger just because he wants to celebrate some of his own occasions? Due to the nature of the close relation, it becomes difficult to refuse the invite, but shouldn't the relative act wisely in the first place and not hold such gatherings at all?

Should we put our lives at stake just because you want to celebrate? Do you know for sure in advance that out of all the people invited / attending the gatherings, none has covid, or that none's body will be devastated if the novel coronavirus enters it?

A corollary. I think earning a lot of money makes a person overestimate / overconfident about his intelligence and wisdom in non-monetary / non-business areas. The person starts to think that because he has successfully earned a lot of money, it's proof that he's universally intelligent / wise - that is, he's capable of intelligently thinking about any area, discipline, situation or subject.

This, I feel, is a major trap which can bust this rich person.

Am I overreacting to the threat from coronavirus? [COMPACTIDEA]

As the various curfews / lockdowns are ending, I - sometimes - feel a bit of a doubt on the unchanged continuation of my strict protection / safety measures from coronavirus. Wearing a mask always, regular sanitization of hands, distancing, not letting anyone into my office, and many more. In contrast, people elsewhere seem to be starting to mix and meet others now. Some of my friends have even done some sort of meetups / get-togethers, but I refused for now. Am I being unnecessarily strict? Am I harming myself by this religious continuation preventive practices? Is it already time for some relaxations? I don't know, but it's important to express the self-doubt that has started to occur at times.

TAGS= CORONA, COVID-19, PANDEMIC

New trend in India - A-grade actresses shamelessly exposing their bodies right in front of their fathers, brothers, etc.

Surprising that they don't feel any sort of lajja / shame / sharam while exposing their bodies in front of their fathers, brothers, etc. So much for Westernization! No value that you're the daughter of that man? Or a sister of your brother? Will this shamelessness ever end? Do these Westernized actresses have no shame left? Bikinis while with your father / brother? How much more can you possibly expose when you're with your boyfriend / husband, compared to what some actresses are currently doing with their fathers / brothers? Further, the discourse environment that has currently been manufactured in the Indian society is such that if you point out or criticize this shamelessness, you're yourself targeted and attacked as regressive, ancient, sexist, dirty-minded and what not [and immediately labeled a "troll"]. No space for unbiased consideration of the criticism.

Females publicly sharing their near-nude pregnancy photos feels like exhibitionism and narcissism to me [COMPACTIDEA]

The 'usual' exhibitionism can be called out as such, but in the case of 'pregnancy', since it's considered a unique and divine experience, it's difficult to call out exhibitionism as exhibitionism. But just because the situation makes it difficult to call something out doesn't in itself mean or imply that it isn't the same negative thing that it was before the current special situation. Basic point being, keeping aside sweet language - females get some kind of excitement/kick in sharing exposing photos of themselves during pregnancy. Whether it's the hormones or whether it's usual stuff, who knows.

SEARCH TAGS= pregnant, childbirth

My presence making him uncomfortable

My father isn't coming to the bed to sleep because I'm around. We are in Ghaziabad to attend a family function, and just the two of us have come here. Now we're back to the hotel, and he isn't sleeping on the bed but is sitting on the sofa, despite me requesting him twice to come to the bed and sleep. My feeling is that his dislike and hatred for me is so high that he doesn't want to sleep next to me. If this is so, why did he take me along to Ghaziabad at all, I wonder? I am feeling so hurt and devalued at his behavior towards me that I'm feeling like buying a new, separate room for myself so that as soon as I leave, he can comfortably sit on the bed, and I can come out of this nonstop insult and sleep as well. He's not even making any effort to not let it be visible to me that he's trying to avoid sitting next to me on the same bed. It's sad and bad but then I cannot let anyone hurt and abuse me on a continual basis, even if that's because that person happens to have a weird kind of personality, bordering a mild illness.

The rafoo / rafu on my jeans is a reminder that I need to work more, earn more [COMPACTIDEA]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darning

Update [2.11.22]: Each year when I go to buy Diwali fireworks - and this has been especially true in the last few years - I'm reminded of my/our financial constraints. When we have to forego fancy aerial crackers because they're too costly for us - I'm reminded of the limitations of our spending power. This year this realization was so stark - I had exhausted all the budget and didn't have spare money to buy fuljharis [sparklers] and Cock's Jil Jil. Apni asli aukaat pata chalti hai.

Update [8.12.22]: I'm down to shoes that cost INR ~500. Till a few years back I used to buy shoes costing INR 1200-1500. What's wrong with my spending power?

I now feel that there might be some kind of God in this Universe [COMPACTIDEA]

I've always / traditionally rejected the presence of God based on the absence of any tangible / visible evidence [although I did at times wonder about the creator / meaning / purpose of our Universe if there's no God after all].

Lately, however, as I've come across some photos that show the sheer vastness of our Universe and that our own Earth is almost zero in comparison, I've felt humbled. I've started to wonder far more deeply about who might have created this Universe, its galaxies, the stars, the planets, the laws that govern all of these bodies, the nature of time, the nature of human intelligence, and so on.

In particular, when I recently looked at the photos of Uranus and Neptune [embedded below], I almost felt for a moment that there must be some kind of God somewhere. It just shouldn't be that such vastness, such enormous amounts of matter and energies, such distances, such "long" time periods, and so on, exist without any creator. Very difficult to understand.

Update [9-May-19]: Looking at the unbelievable vastness of a tiny portion of the Universe in this Hubble video, I feel even more strongly that there could/should be a sort of God somewhere.

Lesser-known and offbeat places can be better than popular and usual travel destinations [COMPACTIDEA]

The point here is that most people, when they travel, travel to same popular destinations to which most other people travel. Travel agencies push these usual places, and most in the public buy tour packages for only these "fast food" destinations. Most people are unaware that tourism can at least sometimes be more enjoyable by doing places and experiences that are less-known, less explored, more untouched, less crowded, offbeat and overall more exotic. A rare village here, a serene trek there. A remote island here, a scenic valley there. A Greenland here, a Siberia there. And so on.

And not just the usual Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, London, Hong Kong, Paris, etc.

One should consciously try - as much as possible - to do a mix of usual, popular tourist places and also sometimes explore stuff that's rare and exotic.

Update [Oct'22]: Dharamkot, during our McLeod Ganj trip. Same thing, same effect.

American politics, and more generally America itself, is so weird, ruined and rotten [COMPACTIDEA]

It can probably happen only in today's USA that a prostitute/porn actress [Stormy Daniels] openly commented - in detail - on the shape / structure of the US President's genitals in a book she wrote. It wouldn't have been that bad if things had stopped here. After all, she's a call girl [or an "adult star" - little fundamental difference between the two actually, irrespective of what people will say], so obviously she'll say shitty things that are standard in her trade, and one shouldn't look too much into it. What is weird, however, is how America's mainstream news media outlets reported her words verbatim. That was a low. No respect for the post of your own President. Petty domestic politics and quarrels above national dignity. Quite rotten America itself has gotten lately, I must say. And to claim that such clickbait reporting by American newspapers is a reflection of the presence of "free press" in America is shitty and doesn't have legs.

Correcting historical wrongs or a crime against Whites - forced land seizures from White farmers in South Africa - is this the right thing to do?

It isn't easy to answer the question raised in the title of this post, but just because it's difficult to answer this doesn't mean that there isn't an answer. And the answer is that yes, seizing the land "belonging to" White farmers in South Africa and giving it to Black farmers is overall the right thing to do. The counter argument that these White farmers whose land is being seized today aren't those White men who forcibly took these lands from SA's native Black farmers [perhaps centuries ago] doesn't have legs. These White men of today are the descendants of those evil Whites who forcibly annexed lands from SA's native peoples, and by being their direct descendants, these Whites of today are in a way directly though wrongly enjoying the fruits of the inhumane crimes committed by their forefathers on the Blacks, reflected in the elevated financial positions and relatively luxurious lifestyles of SA's Whites of today [in stark contrast to the poverty and misery continually being suffered by the Blacks, on average]. To right these historical wrongs, there's no practical way left but to take these lands forcibly, and give them to their real owners [if not to the same men, at least to their descendants]. Besides, if SA doesn't seize lands from White folks, what's the solution to the asymmetrical land distribution in SA then? Is there any other solution to give the lands originally belonging to the Blacks to Blacks again? If not, then seizing has to be done. The Whites - all over the world - will obviously make much hue and cry when these seizures happen, because they've gotten used to always being on the perpetrator end [for centuries now] and they can't see "fellow" White folks being mistreated the way they mistreated Blacks. Let them create furor. Let Australia beat its chest and bark like a dog. These Australians - much like other White nations - are compulsive racists who can only see and react to injustices against Whites - they don't see or feel any crimes at all when they bomb to death innocent Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians or Yemenis. Seizures are overall the just and right thing to do.

Even a little dabbling in a field gets you a title to flaunt around for life, at least on Wikipedia - but did you really earn it, and did you really deserve it

Two examples here. Is it right to call Priyanka Chopra a singer? It is not. She isn't a singer. No way. Just because she has "sung" a few songs doesn't mean that she deserves the coveted title of a "singer". You earn this title. You shouldn't be awarded this title just for quickly assembling a song by hiding your own voice behind modern technological features such as autotune [or Auto-Tune], by resorting to nudity/sexualization [she starts to pour this right in the first five seconds] and other distractions or "riders" in order to shift the main focus of the song from its melody/tune towards its racy visuals, by selling yourself to a top star so that you can convince him to participate in your song in order to give credibility to the song which you alone cannot [but after his massive contribution you still get to collect and flaunt the undeserved title of a "singer"], and by making a song such that only a small proportion of its length is comprised of your voice while much of it is simply instrumentals or the voice of that top star whom you desperately rented by selling yourself.

Let's look at these two sentences.

"Priyanka Chopra... is an Indian actress, singer, film producer, philanthropist, and the..." [link]

"Udit Narayan... is an Indian playback singer... of Nepalese descent..." [link]

Both these sentences use the same word - singer. But is the so-called singing of Priyanka Chopra comparable to the lifetime singing career of Udit Narayan? Not at all. The way the words have been used imply an equivalence - but this is anything but equivalence. If both Udit Narayan and Priyanka Chopra are singers, and the latter is also an actress, a film producer and a philanthropist, then she must be a sort of polymath, right? Not at all. At least this title - singer - has been given to her but neither does she deserve it, nor has she earned it.

This actually also highlights two major issues with Wikipedia itself:

1. As far as Wikipedia's perspective is concerned, it doesn't have any perspective of its own. Whatever is published elsewhere is Wikipedia's perspective, with two noteworthy points. The first being that Wikipedia uses this extremely vague term called "reliable sources", from which facts/information can and should be picked. But what's credible/reliable for one person might be propaganda for others [think of The New York Times knowingly spreading anti-Iraq and anti-Saddam propaganda in 2002 and 2003 in order to prepare the world opinion for an American invasion of Iraq]. The second being that the "volunteers" who write and edit Wikipedia - their personal biases and opinions can never be separated from them and these will definitely percolate into what gets written on Wikipedia.
1. In the case of Priyanka Chopra, if news media outlets call her a singer, then Wikipedia will automatically start to call her a singer. It doesn't matter what the "real truth" is. Whatever is reported is automatically "the truth". This is kind of like according to Wikipedia, Crimea was annexed by Russia - because the entire Western news media said so and continues to repeat so on a daily basis. Wikipedia doesn't have any judgment or morality or perspective of its own. It'll never raise the fundamental question of whether the secession of Crimea was really an "annexation", especially considering the pro-secession results of the referendum held there and even the subsequent confirmation of these results as correct by West's own polling in Crimea?
2. There isn't a proper way on Wikipedia - or more broadly in the English language - to differentiate between different "levels" of a title. A random, low-level newbie singer is also a singer. And a legend like Mohammed Rafi is also simply a singer.

Children attend birthdays, elders attend funerals [COMPACTIDEA]

I might be writing this as a COMPACTIDEA, but the idea itself isn't compact in its significance. I've frequently observed that while kids attend births and birthdays, their elders attend cremations and funerals. Philosophically this is so strange [and sad], and is one clear way in which a distinction can be drawn between younger and older humans.

Sridevi shouldn't have been wrapped in the Indian tricolor flag, nor should she have been given a state funeral [COMPACTIDEA]

It was politics at play when Sridevi was wrapped in the Indian flag and was given a state funeral. She was no soldier. She was just an actress, like so many others. Raising her to the level of the jawaans who take bullets to their chests in order to defend our nation is shameful. The sacrifices of the brave men guarding our borders and securing our skies don't deserve to be made comparable to the death of a Bollywood actress.

The faces of mixed-ethnicity Indian-American women - Nikki Haley and Sunita Williams - look very weird [COMPACTIDEA]

In some photos, Nikki Haley looks like either an animal or an alien. She looks neither proper White American, nor proper Indian, but somewhere in the middle, and this gives her a weird, scary look. Ditto for Sunita Williams.